


Something about Nothing

by RealityXIllusion



Series: Playing With Truth [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alphonse Elric Is Precious, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Big Brother Edward Elric, Determined Edward Elric, Deviates From Canon, Doubtful Edward Elric, Edward Elric Has Issues, Edward Elric Has Trust Issues, Edward Elric Misses His Timeline, Edward Elric Swears, Gen, Mustang is suspicious, Mustang's Team, Nightmares, Nina Tucker Deserves To Live, One Shot, Parental Riza Hawkeye, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Edward Elric, Things are different, Time Travel Fix-It, Timeline What Timeline, Truth Fucks With Edward Elric, Worried Jean Havoc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2021-01-23 15:05:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21322156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RealityXIllusion/pseuds/RealityXIllusion
Summary: Tucker paid no price and transmuted his daughter. He paid the price and transmuted his mother. The difference was, Edward was a kid the first time around, he didn’t know just what he was doing. He knew it was taboo but that didn’t mean he knew the full extent to what performing human transmutation entailed.OrEdward gets a second chance and plans to do whatever it takes to make things right. He wasn't losing anyone this time around.
Relationships: Edward Elric & Nina Tucker, Edward Elric & Team Mustang
Series: Playing With Truth [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1537177
Comments: 16
Kudos: 518





	Something about Nothing

**Author's Note:**

> I ended up writing this one-shot sort of as an apology for not updating my other FMA: Brotherhood story, but now I am growing a tad obsessed with where I can go with this... Sorry ahead of time for the OC-ness of some characters, and fair warning there is a switch in perspective focus. It only happens once and it's near the beginning going from Mustang to Edward.  
[Rated M mainly for curses, but a brief mention of body horror/modification. It's a given with human transmutation.]

There was something off about Fullmetal, but for the life of him, Mustang couldn’t figure out what it was. 

The kid was the same ignorant brat as always, loud and temperamental but something about the way he moved lately seemed… purposeful. Now, Fullmetal has always walked with a purpose, the determination has shown clearly in his eyes even when they first met. Only, this was different. Now that he noticed it, it was as though everything became much clearer. Everything Fullmetal did, around the office or any of them seemed to be thought out and planned beforehand. The yelling, the flinging of doors, the ill-timed comments and sudden appearances, they were all _ planned out _. It’s no wonder why he never noticed it before. Mustang couldn’t help but ask himself just how long this act of Fullmetals' had been going on. Somehow, Fullmetal was a good actor, because he never noticed it before.

In fact, the only reason why he realized that Fullmetal seemed to be hiding something from them was because of a tiny slip-up.

Fullmetal already knew who Shou Tucker was, and despite there being no way for him to have met the man before, Fullmetal corrected Havoc from taking a wrong turn on the way to the man’s house. Tucker’s information was on file, his address was on there as well but Fullmetal did not have the clearance to go searching through files without his written permission. Fullmetals' handwriting was too disastrous to mimic his own. It was because of that slip up that he began keeping a closer eye on Fullmetal. It was also because of the slip up that he spent the continuation of the car ride revisiting his memories of the past few interactions he’s had with Fullmetal. While the knowledge of the Tuckers owning a rather large dog was news to him, Fullmetal didn’t even seem surprised when the dog tackled him to the ground shortly after they reached their designation. In fact, from the way he had tensed in preparation, Fullmetal knew it was coming.

Fullmetal knew, but Alphonse didn’t if his surprised cry of “Brother!” was any indication.

After everything was said and done with Alphonse waiting in some room off to the side, entertaining Tucker’s daughter and their dog, Mustang found himself seated in the living room with Edward and Tucker. 

“He’s interested in biological transmutation and said that he would very much like to examine your research,” Mustang explained.

Although… thinking back on it… that wasn’t true. Of course, Fullmetal was the one to mention studying the aspects of biological transmutations, but when Mustang mentioned Shou Tucker, he had looked disgusted. Just for a brief moment before his facial features smoothed out into a blank look. Something was going on here, he wasn’t sure what, but he would figure it out. He didn’t pay much attention after that, Fullmetal and Tucker speaking quietly to each other while he sat back and glanced around the room.

Other than the one slip up, he couldn’t pinpoint any place in time where Fullmetal began acting strangely… it was unsettling.

Did that mean Fullmetal had been putting up an act all along? 

If he was, then why did Alphonse always seem so surprised anytime Fullmetal acted out? Or was he surprised because he knew that wasn’t how his brother usually was? Come to think of it… how well did Alphonse even know his brother? If what little information he’d been able to learn about the Elrics was right then Alphonse would have already been in his coma during the time Fuhrer Bradley went to Resembool and offered Fullmetal the title of State Alchemist. A year later Fullmetal passed the exam to finalize his status in the military and shortly thereafter was placed under his command. He never learned how long Alphonse was in his coma, he’d only just met the boy last week. Could Fullmetal had changed in the time his brother wasn’t around? Why? And what caused him to be so damn cautious all the time to the point of having to act around him and the team?

He understood Fullmetal’s reasoning for accepting Bradley’s offer… only, he didn’t even know why Fullmetal had been on the military’s radar in the first place, and why did they let a 12-year-old boy be a State Alchemist? Why was he still in the military anyway? Mustang had assumed that the moment Fullmetals' brother was released from the hospital Fullmetal would hand in his resignation letter.

“Colonel Mustang?”

Blinking, Mustang took note of how Fullmetal and Tucker both were staring at him. Apparently having already finished their conversation. 

“I apologize,” Mustang cleared his throat, “Have you two finished working things out?”

“...Yes,” Tucker said slowly, frowning at Fullmetal, “Edward and I have come to an understanding. He is welcome over here whenever he likes to read through my library and look over my notes.”

Why did that sound like they argued with one another when he stopped paying attention?

Fullmetal snorted, “What were you daydreaming, Bastard?”

“Of course not,” Mustang drawled, “I figured since I have to deal with you on a near-constant basis, I could at least leave you to handle this on your own without my input.”

“Mm-hmm,” Fullmetal looked over at Tucker, “I’ll stop by tomorrow morning to get started, that alright?”

“Of course. If I am not up from my lab in time then Nina will let you inside.”

Fullmetal scowled and honestly, Mustang couldn't blame him. What sort of father had their daughter let a stranger into their home?

It wasn’t until they were waiting outside the Tucker home for Havoc to arrive, that Mustang found a chance to talk with Fullmetal. Nina had the family’s dog, Alexander, followed them out and Alphonse was playing with them in the yard.

“Fullmetal.”

He received a grunt in response, Mustang wasn’t shocked. Fullmetal had a habit of reverting to grunts or humming when his mind wasn’t focused on the here and now.

“What’s going on with you?”

“... The hell are you talking about, Bastard?”

“You’ve been… off ever since I mentioned Tucker to you.”

Fullmetal scowled, “...Do you remember what you told me? About Tucker’s first chimera? The one that said… that said it wanted to die?”

“Yes?”

“Two years ago,” Fullmetal averted his gaze, his eyes wandering over to look at his brother and Nina, “Two years ago he successfully created a chimera that could speak… that behaved like a human. Two years ago his wife supposedly left him, but no one had heard of or seen her since…”

“Are you…” Mustang swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat as a sense of unease rose, “...Are you suggesting that... that he had used his wife as an experiment?”

“Yeah.”

“Fullmetal, an accusation like this-”

“I know what I’m talking about,” Fullmetal snarled, “In order to make a chimera… some form of human transmutation is needed. You can’t just suddenly experiment on animals alone and expect them to start talking to you. Plus… if you paid attention to the fucking conversation you would’ve seen how he reacted when I mentioned human transmutation.”

“I… you guys weren’t talking about his work?”

“Hell no. I’m not an expert but I do know a bit about his research already.”

“Then why did you… why did you want to study biological transmutations?”

Fullmetal looked down, muttering, “I still want to learn about it… I said I wasn’t an expert or anything… I just… I had a bad feeling about Tucker when you mentioned him.” 

"Fullmetal, human transmutation is illegal. Every Alchemist knows this."

Fullmetal scoffed, "Just because something is illegal doesn't mean people will stop doing it."

Mustang was stopped from continuing the conversation as Havoc pulled to a stop just in front of the house. Sighing, Mustang decided to let the topic drop. For now.

“Hey, Al! Let’s go!”

“Coming brother!”

* * *

Edward, for the most part, stayed silent on the ride to the station. He was able to convince Al that it was because he was going to miss him, which he was. He hadn’t seen his brother in god knows how long. They’ve talked on the phone frequently since Al woke up but Edward hadn’t been able to go and visit in a while… He almost felt bad about lying to Al, but from the narrow-eyed look Mustang was shooting him from the front seat, he had a feeling the bastard knew he was still thinking about Tucker and not actually about his brother leaving.

It was… odd sending Al off on his own. 

He knew that his journey this time around wasn't one that involved Al directly, but it was still odd not to constantly have his brother by his side… it was… it was lonely if he was being honest.

The only reason why he didn't stay there at the station, watching Al's train leave was that Mustang herded him back toward the car to be dropped off at the dorms. Neither of them spoke during the car ride, Edward kept his gaze out the window the entire time. Havoc tried to keep up a steady flow of conversation like Al had earlier, only he trailed off once it became clear no one else would say anything.

Edward sighed, he was still close with the team, though not as close as before, he did still care for them.

He’d apologize to Havoc later when the bastard wasn’t around.

Every night, without fail, as long as he wasn't exhausted to the point of passing out, his dreams turned against him. Nightmares aren't foreign to him, however, nightmares of someone you’ve just met and them being experimented on were not exactly what he was used to. Edward woke up with his heart pounding, a quick glance around their hotel room showed Alphonse wasn’t in the room at all, but then he remembered Al already left earlier yesterday. For which, Edward was grateful. He didn’t exactly feel like dealing with his brother, who would pester him nonstop until he told him what was wrong, especially not after having a dream like that...

“What… What the hell?” 

He had a feeling this would happen. Nightmares involving Nina weren't rare but they weren't frequent either. He did expect the dreams to come back with a vengeance the closer he got to meet with Tucker and Nina. He just didn't realize how disorienting they would be. On one hand he _ knew _Nina, but on the other hand, his brain kept going back and reminding him that technically speaking he's only met her once so far. And in this timeline he didn't even introduce himself to her, did he? He spent the day with Mustang and Tucker while Al was playing with Nina and Alexander...

His limbs trembled as he pushed himself up against the headboard, his dream replaying over and over again in his mind. 

There was a young girl, though her features were sort of blurred out. She was just a little kid laughing and smiling at him, both of them sitting outside playing with some big dog but then… then .. his dream began to change. There was a voice, it had sounded similar to the little girls’ laughter, calling out to him but her voice was different, odd. It was deeper with some sort of warble to it. Edward couldn’t remember exactly what it was but he had been in some sort of basement, with a transmutation circle drawn on the ground.

The dream had ended just as he glanced up at… at some_ thing _ staring at him from within the circle.

It wasn't until after he had broken up that he realized what he had dreamed about.

Sighing, Edward glanced out the window of their room. He wasn’t sure what time it was, but since it was daylight and probably early morning, he should get up and get ready. Mustang told him that Havoc and he would be picking them up to take them to Shou Tucker’s house around eleven. Getting dressed, Edward ran his fingers through his hair before setting it in a braid. He would have preferred it if he could head over on his own, but the Colonel Bastard was intent on accompanying him.

He knew it was because of their little talk yesterday.

Edward shuddered as the image of Nina appeared any time he shut his eyes, even briefly. He had time. Tucker didn't experiment on Nina until almost a week after they met, he had time to plan and he already planted that seed of doubt in Mustang's mind. He could do this, he would save her and figure out something for finding her a new home. He wouldn’t leave her to suffer in her fathers’ hands.

Edward skipped grabbing something to eat.

With his dream still lingering at the forefront of his mind, he didn’t want to chance to eat before a car ride. He had a feeling if he did then he’d end up dirtying the inside of the car, plus he did not want to throw up and have Mustang go and decide it would be best to keep him from seeing Nina.

He was early leaving the dorms, but it didn’t matter as he saw Havoc already waiting out front. 

He was leaning against the hood of the car, smoking a cigarette. Edward glanced at the inside of the car before looking around the area but he didn’t see Mustang anywhere.

“If you’re looking for the Colonel, he’s back at the office. Hawkeye caught him hiding paperwork inside the couch earlier.” Havoc called out, grinning, "So he couldn't come. Looks like it’s just you and me, today."

“The bastard should just do the work and get it over with,” Edward snorted.

“Aw, come on Boss. You know how he is.”

Edward walked around the side and climbed into the passenger seat, usually he’d sit in the back but he wanted to make up for ignoring Havoc yesterday.

Havoc got into the car once he finished his smoke, rolling down the windows to keep the smell from filling the car, “So. Uh, you…”

Edward raised a brow, glancing at Havoc from the corner of his eye as they began driving down the street.

“You doing alright?”

“...I’m fine?” Edward frowned, “Why?”

“Er, it’s just you seemed… I dunno, down yesterday?” Havoc shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road, “You and the Colonel have a serious fight or something? You guys looked pretty tense coming out of the house. I thought you might’ve been sad about Alphonse leaving but you seemed okay when he got on the train. You only acted off when the Colonel went near you.”

Edward blinked. He didn’t think he was acting any differently than usual… but he must’ve been if not only Mustang noticed but Havoc as well. He supposed he could just brush it off as being put out with Al leaving already but… but he didn’t want to have to lie to him more than he’d have too. Besides, he already mentioned his so-called suspicions to Mustang and Havoc wouldn’t believe him even if he did try to assure him he’d only been upset that Al left…

“I had a bad feeling about meeting Mr. Tucker. It just felt like something bad was going to happen the longer I stayed around him. It had me a bit… on edge I guess.” Edward said nonchalantly.

Havoc’s head snapped around to stare at him, causing Edward to yell at him to look at the road. With his heart beating frantically in his chest as the car swerved, Edward leaned back in his seat and groaned.

“...Sorry about that.”

“What the hell Havoc?!” Edward snapped, “I’m almost thirteen, I don’t need to have a heart attack at my age!”

“Sorry, sorry!” Havoc grinned, briefly, “Uh… by a bad feeling, you mean like a gut feeling?”

“Yeah?”

“Your gut feelings are usually never wrong, you know.”

Edward frowned, “...I could be wrong.”

“You haven’t been once since we met.” Havoc grimaced, “With your gut feelings I mean. Don’t go getting a big head now.”

“You’ve known me a year,” Edward said calmly, “I was placed under Mustang's command by the Fuhrer. Mustang didn't choose to have me in his unit and I can’t be right all the time, it's literally impossible. Sometimes a feeling is just that. A feeling.”

“A year can be seen as long or short depending on who you ask. You being wrong about this turning into a bad situation… that's what you're worried about, right? you don’t think that’s what this is, but you’re taking this seriously either way.” 

“I know.”

Edward eyed the way Havoc’s grip tightened, the leather on the wheel protesting the abuse, “...Then why am I driving you back there? You aren’t comfortable with this right? Your gut feeling came from being near Tucker or the area in general? Does the Colonel know?”

Edward just barely kept from sighing out loud, “Yeah the bastard knows. Sort of, I mentioned a suspicion I had but whatever, what does that have to do with anything? I still want to learn about Biological Transmutation, and I want to be nearby to keep an eye on him.”

“On Tucker? So it’s him you’re wary about.”

“Yep,” Edward shrugged, “Figured I can just stick around until whatever happens, happens. Then maybe I can do something about it.”

“That doesn’t exactly sound safe.”

“Since when is what I do, safe?” 

And so it repeated, every day for the next five days, Edward woke up in the morning and was driven to the Tucker residence by Havoc. After his discussion with Havoc, one member of the team would join them each day for the drive. Edward knew Havoc told them all about their talk in the car, it annoyed him but he understood why he told them. At first, it was Falman, then came Fuery, then it went Breda, Mustang and finally Hawkeye. He wasn’t sure why they suddenly all decided to take turns coming on the ride with Havoc and him, but Edward didn’t question it. He had a feeling Havoc said something to the team, something that didn’t have to do with admitting to having a bad feeling. It was awkward, despite the conversations being light, Edward was well aware of how each of them would stare at him throughout the ride. Mustang didn’t even try to hide it, he just sat in the front seat and stared at him through the mirror. Today was the last day of the week, Edward technically didn’t tell Tucker that he was coming over today, but there was no way in hell he was staying at the dorms. 

So he called the office a little after noon and asked Havoc to give him a ride, something which he could tell surprised the man since the trip wasn’t planned. He guessed it was because it was so last minute that none of the other members of the team were prepared to have another one of them come along.

Which left just Havoc and him to make the voyage to Tucker’s house.

Havoc tried to strike up a conversation, telling him about what’s been going on at the office but Edward couldn’t concentrate. He could tell that something was bothering Havoc but Edward ignored it for the time being. His mind had other things to worry about. His leg bouncing throughout the entire car ride, Edward was kept from leaping out of the car by Havoc grabbing his arm. Edward scowled, tugging arm but Havoc only tightened his grip in response.

“Why are you in such a hurry?”

“Bad feeling.” Edward snapped yanking his arm out of Havoc’s grasp as Havoc scrambled to undo his seatbelt.

“Ed, wait!”

He may have pulled a little too hard because the area where Havoc’s fingers dug into his skin was stinging. He paid it no heed as he ran towards the house, hesitating only for a second on whether or not to ring the doorbell. Ultimately deciding not too, Edward lifted his automail leg and kicked the door in. He heard Havoc shout something else behind him, but Edward ignored it as he rushed into the house.

He didn’t know what time Tucker planned to transmute Nina and Alexander, he only knew it was supposed to be sometime today.

He assumed it happened at night but he didn’t fucking know when it happened.

They only knew it happened today because today was when he had stopped by the Tucker home with Al and found them in the basement. He could’ve been too late, but he hoped to god he wasn’t. He should’ve just come over first thing in the morning, gritting his teeth Edward raced down to where he knew Tucker's lab to be. The door wasn’t even shut fully, Edward slowed to a halt. Inching his way forward, he pushed the door open and slid into the room…

It was as though a bucket of ice water fell over him.

Edward froze where he was, believing his heart actually stopped beating in his chest as the array before him had died down, the alchemy in the room settling. The air in the room felt heavy, a numbness settling within him as he stared. There, in the middle of the array, with her head bowed and chest heaving was Nina as a… as a chimera. In the dim lighting of the room her hair looked ratty and what should’ve been the white fur of Alexander now looked like matted grey. It was her eyes, her eyes that took his breath away. They were watery and Edward felt as though they were looking through him rather than at him.

“Yes… I did it, I did it!”

Reluctant to tear his gaze away from Nina, _away from the little girl he swore to save and failed_\- Edward’s eyes landed on Shou Tucker, who was standing there practically beaming. That… _that_ _fucker_. Edward snarled, an inhumane sound surprising even him, escaping from his lips. Tucker’s head snapped over toward him and out of the corner of his eye, Edward noticed how Nina slowly lifted her head higher and flinched back.

“Edward!” Tucker gasped, his gaze darting from him to Nina and back again, “What are you- What are you doing here?”

“What. The. Hell. Did you do?!” Edward rasped, his hands shaking.

“I-I did it! A chimera, I created a perfect-” 

Edward sailed across the room, his fist connecting with Tucker’s jaw and sending the man sprawling on the floor before he could even finish speaking. It was tempting, so damn tempting to keep on hitting Tucker despite the fact that one punch knocked the man out. His blood boiled in a way that Edward knew wouldn’t end well for anybody involved. He wanted to hurt him, he wanted Tucker to feel how much pain Edward felt when he entered the room. It was only because he knew Nina was still in the room, and that she needed him that Edward refrained from beating Tucker into the ground.

“Bo-Boss!”

His eyes darting towards the door, Edward saw Havoc standing in the doorway with his gun out and his eyes trained on Tucker. He looked… confused but also pissed. It was as Havoc’s eyes shifted to Nina that Edward found himself moving, he ran into the array, dropping to his knees by Nina’s side. It was on a pure reflex that he shifted so that his body could act as a barrier before Havoc and Nina.

He knew Havoc was trained on how to properly handle a gun, that didn’t mean he was going to risk it being pointed at Nina.

“Edward, what are you-?!” Havoc stumbled forward half a step, his gaze going from Tucker to Edward and back again, “Is that… is that one of his? A-A chimera?”

“I-It’s Nina,” Edward gasped, trying to calm himself down, “Not some fucking chimera Havoc. It’s Nina, his fucking daughter! He transmuted… he transmuted his own...God-fucking-damnit!”

Horrified, Havoc’s jaw dropped open. No words coming out as he slowly moved towards the array but not stepping over the drawn outlines. He kept Tucker in his sight but focused on what was in front of him, “Boss… Ed, get out of there," Havoc eyed the array warily "I called-I called the Lieutenant, she’s getting the others… they’re on their way, okay? Just… Just move out of the circle. B-both of you.”

Edward held his hands out in front of him, lowering his voice, “Nina? Nina, hey, can you hear me?”

He was too late. He was too late. _ He was too late-! _

“Ed… Edward… B-Big brother Ed…” 

Edward shushed her, laying his hand on her head and gently carding his fingers through her hair. It was different… the hair felt coarse, brittle compared to her usually soft hair he had braided once before. “Y-Yeah, it’s big brother Ed…. Nina, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Shifting back, Edward quickly pulled off his coat, the red stands out in stark contrast to the darkness of the room. He wrapped his coat around Nina, ignoring the shaking in his hands as he shifted from his knees to sitting back on his heels. He wrapped his arms around her, heaving her up and back into his chest. She was heavy, much heavier than he was prepared for and he almost fell over from her weight. Breathing in deeply, Edward forced himself to stand, his legs nearly buckling under their combined weight. Edward took it one step at a time, slowly making his way out of the array with Nina huddled in his arms. He couldn’t see Havoc or Tucker anywhere, so he assumed Havoc had dragged the man out of the room without him realizing it.

Good. If he looked at Tucker he might not have been able to stop himself from hitting the man again. Or possibly even doing much worse.

Stumbling over his feet, Edward stopped a foot or so away from the array.

He gently lowered Nina to the ground, settling down in front of her and letting her lay her head in his lap.

She seemed content just to stay there, it took Edward a moment to realize that the odd rumbling noise he heard coming from her seemed to be some type of purring. He thought that there was something wrong with her breathing but it seemed to be just one of her… new attributes becoming a Chimera granted her. It was probably for the best that Havoc took Tucker out of the room, if not then Edward honestly wasn't sure if he could stop himself from beating the man possibly to death. Tucker… Tucker pissed him the hell off. He thought that living through this all over again was supposed to be a second chance… he thought he could change things. Save people.

Was this actually a second chance or just his own personal hell?

Was this… was this some sort of sick joke? Was Truth doing this to mess with him? _ Why _ was he here if he couldn't even save one little girl? His head bowed, Edward kept one arm wrapped tightly around Nina while his other arm laid by his side, with the hand clenched into a fist. He wasn't sure how long they sat there in silence, he wasn’t sure if he cared. All he could focus on was Nina and the way she stayed close, occasionally letting out a low wine before pressing her head against his stomach. A few stray tears leaked from her eyes but she seemed otherwise content just to lay there.

Edward shifted his fingers through her hair, carefully not to pull too hard or move his hand fully away as he worked the knots out. Flattening her hair, he then pushed the bangs out of her eyes, revealing their blue color which was undoubtedly Nina’s.

Relieved just to see that not all of Nina had disappeared, Edward smiled softly down at her.

“Fullmetal?”

His head snapping up Edward tensed as Mustang and Hawkeye both slowly made their way into the room. Their eyes immediately latching onto Nina, widening as her tail twitched. Neither of them looked too happy to be there, in fact, it looked as if they wanted to be anywhere else. Nina whimpered, her paws scraping against the ground as she pushed herself further against Edward.

“It’s okay Nina,” Edward whispered, “That’s Colonel Mustang, he came here with Al and me one time, remember? Earlier this week?”

“Mus-tang?”

“Yeah, Mustang. The woman next to him? That’s Lieutenant Hawkeye.”

“H-awkeye? Hawkeye.”

Edward patted her head, keeping his voice low, “Yeah, good job Nina. Can you wait here real quick? I need to talk to them about something.”

Nina began to frantically shake her head back and forth, Edward winced as her paw pressed down on his automail port. Becoming a chimera definitely changed her strength. “No! Stay, big brother, s-stay. With me. Stay.”

Edward shushed her, bending down to look her in the eye, “I’ll be right back Nina. I’m just going to be right on the other side of that door. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Promise? Promise. Come back?”

“I promise.”

Edward hesitantly got to his feet, draping his coat more evenly over Nina to cover the majority of her body. He kept his head tilted at an angle to avoid meeting Mustang’s eyes. For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to meet them. He knew Mustang couldn’t have blamed him for this but that didn’t change the fact that Edward knew this was all his fault. He could’ve taken her away but he didn’t and now Nina’s life was ruined. Twice now he couldn’t save her. Couldn't even save one little girl. Stepping out into the hall, Edward waited until Mustang and Hawkeye moved out before he shifted over into the doorway. Keeping either of them from stepping back into the room.

He could tell from the look they shared that they realized what he was doing.

He didn’t want to be suspicious of them but… but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t know how they were going to react. He couldn’t predict what would happen next and that terrified him. They… they weren't _ his _Mustang and Hawkeye. They were different. Everything was different…

Mustang frowned, “...Havoc told us what happened on his end, you mind filling us in on what happened here, Fullmetal?”

An order, not a request.

Edward stiffened, “Not much to say. Tucker used a variation of human transmutation to combine Nina and the family dog, Alexander, into a… a chimera.”

The muscle in Mustang’s jaw twitched, “Tucker’s unconscious.”

Edward finally met Mustang’s eyes and glared, “...Tucker pissed me off.”

“I see.”

“Edward,” Edward’s eyes darted to Hawkeye, “Are you… alright?”

Edward snorted, his lips pulling back into a near snarl, “Oh, _ I’m _ fine. It’s not like a little girl was just fucking experimented on by her own goddamn father or anything!”

“Fullmetal! You-”

“Shut up Colonel Mustang,” Edward snapped, mildly surprised when the bastard actually shut his mouth, “I’m not in the mood to deal with pretending the situation isn’t what it is. I’m sorry Miss Hawkeye. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get Nina out of here. Now.”

Edward spun on his heel, marching back into the room and forcibly ignoring the twinge of guilt that popped up as he saw the look on Hawkeye’s face. He shouldn’t have snapped at her, he knew she only met well and was genuinely checking on him because she was probably worried but… but he didn’t want to talk about himself. Nina was the one who was suffering. Nina was the one who’s life just took a turn for the worse. Nina was the one who now had to fight for her life because Edward was pretty sure that as far along as Tucker merged them, he didn’t do it with either Nina or Alexander's health in mind.

“Where are you taking her?”

Edward glanced over his shoulder at Mustang’s suspiciously blank face, Hawkeye wasn’t anywhere to be seen so Edward assumed she went back outside to the others... He’d have to give her a real apology later once he knew Nina was safe.

“Fullmetal,” Mustang tensed, “Where are you taking her?”

“I’m not leaving her here.” 

Edward grunted as he lifted Nina, one arm coming under her hind legs and the other wrapping around part of her back as she leaned over his shoulder. He could feel the strain in his legs but if he kept his knees locked he knew he wouldn’t fall.

Not right away at least.

He should be able to get her upstairs before he'd need to set her down again.

Mustang crossed his arms over his chest, his figure filling the doorway and trapping Edward in the room. He wasn’t sure if it was done on purpose or not, but either way, Edward was not okay with it.

“Get out of the way Mustang,” Edward blew a strand of hair out of his face, “Can’t leave the room if you’re blocking the exit.”

He tried to keep his tone light, almost engaging but he wasn’t sure he managed by the grim look Mustang shot him.

“Fullmetal,” Mustang sighed, dropping his arms, “Edward. Please just tell me where you plan on going.”

“...I need to get Nina out of here before anyone else from the military arrives.”

“Why?”

“I’m not letting her get put in some lab like some kind of experiment!” Edward snapped.

“I-I see.”

Nina whined Edward could feel the nails of her paws digging into his skin. Edward tensed, his grip on Nina tightening as Mustang reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“Let Havoc give you a ride. Tell him to take you to Hughes, his hotel’s nearby and he can help you.”

Edward blinked, “What?”

“You can’t take her to the dorms Fullmetal. Hughes knows of a few safehouses near the area, he can meet you at the car and lead the two of you there."

“...Why?” Edward’s eyes narrowed, “Why’re helping me? Shouldn’t you be telling me to knock it off and leave her here or something?”

"When a member of my team needs my help, of course, I'm going to help them."

"You didn't_ pick _ me to be on your team. You picked everyone that you could trust. Fuhrer Bradley put me under your command without your permission," Edward said, blurting out what has been bothering him since his first day as a State Alchemist, "It doesn't take a State Alchemist to see you don't trust me. That's fine. Whatever. I don't care about the stupid missions you send me on, I don't care about how you keep me in the dark about most things. What I do care about is Nina, I'm not going to risk her safety if this is just one of your schemes."

It was there. Just for a split second but that second was enough. Mustang had looked… startled? Hurt? Whatever it was, it was gone before he could try to figure out what it meant.

Mustang straightened his posture, meeting Edward's eyes and holding them, "...I promise you that we want to do nothing other than to help you. If the military finds out about her or tries capturing her, I'll resign immediately."

That… that made him stop to think.

Being in the military, working his way up through the ranks… Becoming Fuhrer meant everything to Mustang. Edward knew how important it was to him… for him to suggest resigning if he broke his promise to him…

"Okay."

"O-Okay?" Mustang repeated, surprised.

Edward nodded his head, walking towards the doorway and felt silently relieved as Mustang moved out of the way, "I'll trust you."

Things were different this time around, everyone acted differently too. It wasn't that noticeable, others probably wouldn't be able to tell, but because it wasn't the same as before he noticed it immediately. He could tell that they didn't trust him the same as before. He knew it was because they were worried he was in the Fuhrer's back pocket. They were probably worried that he was supposed to be some sort of spy, they probably thought that he was sent by the higher-ups to keep an eye on Mustang. He knew that there was a chance of it all being different from what he knew. He knew that he wouldn't get to have the same relationship with everyone as before. He knew that. He expected it.

It hurt, but he'll live.

He'll make sure they all do too.

* * *

The clouds in the sky were dark and it was obvious that a storm was coming. Most people were already carrying umbrellas by their sides, a few wore coats and even ponchos. Edward glanced up at the sky every so often. The ache in his leg had forewarned him of the turn in the weather, he just wasn't expecting it to change so quickly. He didn't have an umbrella with him and his jacket wasn't thick enough to keep him from getting wet should it start raining before he made it back to the dorms. He was glad that his dorm this time around wasn't apart of the dorms within the Eastern Command Center but sometimes he wished they were at least a bit closer so he wouldn't have to walk as far.

Edward slowed to a stop as a car came from around the corner, coming to a stop next to him. He eyed the car warily, his gaze snapping to the passenger side as the window rolled down. Edward bent down to see inside.

Edward's head tilted slightly, "...Hawkeye?"

"Edward. I'm glad to see you haven't gone back to the dorms just yet. The Colonel asked me to come to drive you back to the office."

"Why's that?"

He just left the office, not even ten minutes ago and already the bastard as calling him back? After everything that went on last night, Edward wanted nothing more than to go meet up with Hughes so he could drive him over to the safe house. That way he could check in on Nina and Havoc could get back to work before anyone noticed he hadn't come in today.

He wasn't sure about how he felt with leaving Havoc to watch over Nina while he had to give his report. He knew that Havoc wouldn't do anything to her but Nina was still worried about being left alone. She only really relaxes when he's the one sitting with her.

The car ride from the Tucker home to pick up Hughes and then to the safe house had been hell.

Nina wouldn't sit still and whined anytime Havoc or Hughes tried speaking. The only thing that worked with calming her down was if he held on to her and told her old stories about him and Alphonse growing up. It was awkward, especially knowing that the other two were listening in the entire time.

"He would like to speak with you, he assures me it would only take a couple of minutes."

Edward muttered, "Bastard couldn't just talk when I was there with my report? Wasting my time like this…"

Edward reluctantly climbed into the backseat while Hawkeye watched him put on his seatbelt before pulling away from the curb.

"Mind telling me why the Colonel bastard couldn't just ask me whatever the hell he wants to ask me while I was still there?" Edward grumbled.

"I believe this was a last-minute request."

Edward fell silent. 

It was awkward sitting in the car with Hawkeye while she went on acting as though nothing went on between them. He tried to apologize to her, really apologize to her after snapping at her last night but she told him he had nothing to apologize for. He tried to tell her that he shouldn't have snapped at her but any attempts he made to apologize were quickly shot down. He wasn't sure how to act around her, or any of the others.

It was like his first day meeting them (for the second time) all over again.

He couldn't be overly familiar in greeting them but he couldn't just ignore them all either. Now he wasn't sure what would be the appropriate responses after what the tension with Tucker caused.

So he kept silent throughout the entire ride and even the walk back to the office.

Hawkeye immediately went over to her desk, a sharp look from her had the others getting back to work as well. Edward tensed, striding quickly to the inner office and entering without knocking. Deciding at the last second not to slam the door shut.

Mustang's head snapped up from where he was laying on the desk. A brief look of panic fading away as he noticed Edward was the one to come in. Edward had a feeling he was worried that Hawkeye would be the one to come in and see him slacking off.

"Fullmetal."

"Mind telling me why I'm back here when I left not even 20 minutes ago?"

“There’s something I want to speak with you about.”

“You going to just say it or keep putting it off?” Edward flopped back onto the couch, kicking his feet up into the table, “I do have better things I could be doing, you know?”

The bastard knew he was going to meet with Nina.

Mustang glared at him, but for once didn’t make a smart comment, “There is something I would like to clarify… Well, ask really.”

“And that is?”

"What I don't I understand is… You signed up to become a State Alchemist in order to earn enough money to pay off your brothers' hospital bills, right?"

Edward nodded slowly, “Yeah… so?”

"Don't get me wrong Fullmetal, I'm glad you're still here but… why are you?"

"Why am I what?"

"Why are you still in the Military. You haven't exactly been subtle in your… disdain towards the military, Fullmetal. Your brother has been out of the hospital for five months now. According to you and him, his physical therapy is going well. He even came by himself to visit you in Central not too long ago." Mustang sighed, "What exactly is keeping you here?"

Edward frowned, memories he had long since given up on erasing coming back to him.

_ There are many things Edward Elric knew not to take for granted, life is one of them. _

_ Every living thing has a purpose, no matter how small or insignificant. They live and they die. There was no escaping that vicious cycle, not even the homunculi nor the souls within a Philosopher's stone could last forever. It was supposed to be a single cycle… live your life and then die when you are meant too... _

_ Edward couldn’t tell what was going on, the fight was over… they defeated Father and yet, why was he here? Edward had been standing in Mustangs’ hospital room, the doctors kicking him out of Al’s room so they could give him a check-up. He came to see how the bastard was holding up but the moment he walked in through the door, Edward froze. There was something… something in the air, it felt almost like alchemy charging up. Only that didn’t make any sense, he couldn’t perform alchemy any longer and Mustang wasn’t trying to do it either. It didn’t even look like he noticed the electric charge in the air at all. _

_ "Fullmetal?" _

_ Mustang could see him, blearily Edward noted that Dr. Marcoh's treatment must have worked but for some reason, he couldn't speak. His body didn't seem to be listening to him… _

_ "Fullmetal!" Mustang snapped. _

_ Edward blinked, forcing himself to lift his head higher and meet Mustang's narrowed eyes. He looked about ready to leap up out of his bed. Something he probably shouldn’t do, not when he had other injuries to worry about. Edward wanted to answer him, to tell him not to snap at him only the floor was rushing up to meet him. The sounds around him grew muffled, he could barely make out Mustang calling out to him, and yelling for a doctor. There was this odd feeling of dread yet something familiar building up within him. _

_ His body was telling him he had to move… he had to do something- _

_ The moment his hands touched the array, Edward knew something was wrong. He just couldn’t figure out what it was but something heavy settled in his gut, leaving him gasping for air. His eyes darted over toward Alphonse, his brother meeting his eyes and grinning back at him. It was working, they were doing it! They were going to bring back their mother… The glow from the transmutation circle changed, so suddenly that Edward didn’t even notice it at first. It wasn’t until he heard Alphonse cry out for him and he was struck by a wave of agony that he knew something had gone wrong. _

_ It didn’t work. _

_ The alchemy turned purple, arching up into the air and striking out around them. The hairs on his arms and legs all stood on end, his body seized with the overwhelming urge to run, to get away from there. _

_ "Ed, something doesn’t feel right!" _

_ Shadows grew from the array, dancing in the air as they climbed up the walls, surrounding them. Tiny black limbs sprouted up from the floor, just as a giant eye opened up in the middle, their arms stretching as they rushed toward both of them. He tried to move out of the way, to get away from the hands grabbing at him but his body wasn’t listening to him. Edward’s head snapped to the side as he heard Alphonse scream. _

_ “Al!” _

_ His arms gave out, a pain, unlike anything he’s ever felt before spreading throughout his body as he fell to the ground. His jaw colliding harshly with the flooring. A scream tore its way out of his throat of its own accord. Unable to sense anything else other than the fire burning through his leg, leaving him writhing on the ground. _

_ It can’t be… a rebound? Trembling, Edward twisted around, glancing back at his leg in horrified silence as the limb itself seemed to… to peel away. Leaving empty space where it once laid. _

_ “Brother!” Edward turned, staring as his brother fought against the hands grabbing at any inch of him they could reach, “Ed!... Help! Brother, help me!” _

_ Reaching out toward one another, Al’s screams mixing with Edward’s own, Alphonse vanished before their fingers could even touch. “Al? Al! Alphonse?!” _

_ He was surrounded by nothing, absolutely nothing as the white space he was in spread out for what looked like miles and miles. Where was Alphonse? Where was his brother? Or their mother? It had to have worked… they got everything correct, all of the ingredients, the array… all of it. “Al? Wait… what was I doing? I-I just-” _

_ “Hello.” _

_ “Who… who are you?” _

_ “Oh? I’m so glad you asked, I'm called by many names, I'm the world, I'm the universe. I'm God, I am the Truth, I am all. I am one, and I am also you," Edward flinched back as the white figure pointed at him, a grin spreading across its face, “You had dared to knock on the door, and now the door is open.” _

_ Edward slowly turned to look behind him, a giant, stone doorway he hadn’t noticed before opening. The large eye from earlier appearing as thousands on hands shot out toward him, wrapping around him even as he fought against them, even as he kicked and screamed and tried to run away. _

_ “Quiet child, this is what you wanted isn’t it? I will show you… the truth.” _

_ Just as he found himself surrounded entirely by darkness, one by one memory after memory began flooding into his brain. Some familiar to him, others coming from out of nowhere, involving people, places and things he’s never seen before. _

_ “It’s too much, it’s too much! Make it stop,” Edward sobbed, “Please make it stop!” _

_ Pressure built up in his head, causing his eyes to sting. Voices, he could hear other people’s voices calling out to him, he didn’t understand them. Nothing they were saying made any sense. Why? Why were they screaming? Why did they all sound like they were in so much agony? “W-What’s happening to me? Make… make it stop, please make it stop!” _

_ The hands tightened their grip, he could feel them marking his skin as they cut off his circulation… he had to stop this. Alphonse… Edward gasped as images resurfaced in his mind. Showing him, laying in their home, just outside of the transmutation circle, bleeding. There was some suit of armor knocked over, laying on the ground next to him. He was drawing something… some sort of symbol inside of the armor. Edward took one look at that symbol and suddenly everything became clear. _

_ Using that armor… he had bonded Al’s soul to it… that’s what he did, after losing his leg and realizing that Al was gone, he activated the circle once more. Going to the gate in order to get his brother back but… he hadn’t done that yet? _

_ Edward gasped, his eyes widening as he found himself back inside of their house, his hands grasping at the stump where his leg had been, “Damnit, this can’t be happening… not again. Goddamnit, not again! Alphonse!” _

_ Why was he here? Where was Mustang, Al, and even Hawkeye? Why wasn’t he at the hospital with them? This couldn’t be possible, it shouldn’t be possible… _

_ Only Al… Al wasn't waking up, he wasn’t even there. His clothes lying there on the ground where his body should’ve been. I have to get him back… I need to get him back! If he opened the gate once more if he gave his arm for Alphonse… he could get him back, but Alphonse would be trapped in that armor all over again. _

_ He couldn't put him through that. Not again. _

_ His heart lodged in his throat, Edward gritted his teeth. Forcing his body to move. To listen to him as he dragged himself over toward Alphonse’s clothes. He couldn’t focus, not clearly at least. He was losing too much blood, way too fast. Panting, Edward collapsed next to them, he was so tired… He needed something, anything. Anything to help him save Al… _

_ Then it came to him. _

_ The philosophers stone… there were tons of them, all below Amestris. Maybe… Maybe that would be enough? _

_ Please, Edward thought, please help me save him. I know you're all upset, and it's not fair of me to ask this of you… but he's my little brother, please help me save him! _

"Fullmetal?"

Mustang was halfway out of his seat, looking a second away from rushing over toward him. Edward shuddered, squeezing his eyes shut momentarily. Al was… okay. Not exactly great but he was and would be okay. In the end using the souls from the Philosopher's stones actually worked. Alphonse didn't have to lose his body and he managed to get off with only losing a leg. Al was staying in Resembool with Winry and Granny and he had his body still… he didn’t have to worry about him here.

Edward breathed out slowly, meeting Mustang’s eyes as the man lowered himself back into his chair, "...There's is still something I need to do. Don't worry bastard, I'm not staying here any longer than I have to."

Just long enough to keep anyone from dying.

"...Why did the Fuhrer recruit you?"

Edward's eyes narrowed, "What do you mean?"

"Fullmetal. You are a 12-year-old State Alchemist, the Fuhrer himself went to recruit you, and I hear that you requested to be put under my command instead of letting the higher-ups decide where you go."

"First off, I'm thirteen you bastard. Second, did you want me to get a new commanding officer?" 

Mentally Edward panicked, this was nothing like how his Mustang acted. Why were things different just because the Fuhrer was the one who recruited him instead of Mustang? Was Mustang actually going to switch him into some other unit?

Mustangs' eyes widened, "No! No, I just meant… What are you planning? I mean, you are planning something aren't you?"

"...My plans won't get in the way of yours Colonel Mustang." Edward replied stiffly. 

"That's not what I'm-"

Edward stood from the couch, ignoring the way Mustang's eyes followed him as he spun on his heel and flung open the office door. Deciding not to address how obvious the others were in their eavesdropping, Edward left the outer office as well.

He didn't want to head back to the dorms just yet but he definitely didn't want to wait around there. Not when he knew the bastard would just keep questioning him and pressing for answers. From the looks of things, it didn't seem like anyone else from the team would try and stop Mustang either. Not even Hawkeye if the curious gleam in her eye was any indication. He just needed to walk around for a little bit. Get the chance to work through his thoughts and figure out some way to continue his plan without getting any of the other’s attention. He wasn't sure how Mustang even realized something was up. Why did it even matter to the bastard why he was still in the military? Shouldn't he be glad to still have him as one of his pawns in his plan on becoming Fuhrer?

Besides, how the hell was he supposed to explain why Fuhrer Bradley recruited him for the military when he still wasn't sure why he was the one to do so in the first place.

The only thing he had changed about the timeline at that point was that he saved Al from losing his body. He didn't see how that could have affected Mustang and Hawkeye being the ones to come to Resembool but somehow, something did change. Somehow keeping Al from paying a toll resulted in the Fuhrer coming to Resembool and practically threatening him with the choice of either joining the military or going to jail for committing a taboo. Edward was still surprised to this day that Bradley was even giving him as much freedom as he was. He would have thought he'd try to keep him on a tighter leash.

Instead, everything was pretty much the same as before.

He was allowed the same benefits, he had the same missions and was even able to get Mustang as his commanding officer again. It was odd but he had no way of telling why things weren't changing. It was one fear he had, the fear of being unable to actually change the timeline. The fear of being unable to save anyone. The fear of certain things somehow being set moments in time that wouldn't change no matter how hard he tried. But he would keep trying, no matter what he had to do or what he had to sacrifice, he would keep trying.

He wouldn't lose anybody else. Not again.

Groaning as he ran his hand through his hair, Edward headed back to the dorms and all but collapsed onto his bed once he got there. He had to finish packing before meeting up with Hughes at the train station tomorrow. Hughes swore that he would be able to sneak Nina onto the train without gaining any unwanted attention. Edward tried to convince Hughes to head back to Central, but for some reason, Hughes, Hawkeye, Mustang and the team all agreed that one of them should accompany him and Nina. Hughes ended up being the one to offer to come with him since it would look odd to the higher-ups if one of the others’ in Mustang’s unit followed him for his week of leave. At least with Hughes, he could call in sick from the Investigations department without causing any trouble. Plus this way Edward knew Hughes couldn’t go digging for information on any oddities with the military, though he wasn’t sure if Hughes did that before or after the ordeal with the fifth laboratory...

Sighing, Edward sat up and swung his legs off of his bed.

He should start packing, though there wasn’t much to actually be packed away. He never carried much around with him, most of his belongings were still stuffed in his suitcase. He apparently owned even less than he thought, he did a quite swept off the dorm but there was nothing left for him to pack away. He finished in less than ten minutes.

He was supposed to meet up with Hughes to head out to the safe house for a few hours, but he'd forgotten and headed straight to the dorms. He had a feeling Hughes might've known he wasn't stopping by today, the bastard probably left him a message after he stormed out earlier, but that didn't matter. He still wanted to check in on Nina and see how she was getting along with Havoc. Plus, he wanted to be there when Breda took overwatch for the night.

Glad he hadn't undressed yet, Edward picked up his suitcase and made sure to lock the door behind him as he left the dorm.

It would take longer than he wanted due to not having a car but he knew how to get to the safe house on his own. He made sure to memorize it during the first drive there just in case something popped up.

It was pretty much down pouring by the time he left the building and was making his way down the streets.

From what he saw there weren't that many people still outside. It wasn't too late into the night but the weather seemed to play a role in convincing people to head inside. He only had to deal with a few people on the sidewalk that tried making polite conversation. It was easy enough to get away, apologizing that he was needed elsewhere. Technically he hadn't lied.

Now if only the weather wasn't filling the role of a terrible reminder for his first run-in with Scar.

Logically speaking he knew that Scar wouldn't be able to find Tucker or Nina. Tucker was supposedly staying at some sort of government-owned housing under house arrest until trial. While Nina was at the safe house where only Mustang, the team, Hughes and himself knew of its location. She was safe.

She was "safe" last time too.

Gritting his teeth, Edward picked up the pace. Occasionally jerking to the side to avoid that odd person out on the sidewalk. For some reason, people out in East City had a bad habit of not moving out of the way, even if they had plenty of space to do so. There was a slight burn in his calf as he made his way to the safehouse, the long walk providing enough exercise for the muscle. It was a welcome distraction from his thoughts. Though it did remind him that he hadn’t been able to spar in a while now, he’d have to see about practicing in the gym back at the base or hopefully get some training out of the way somewhere before he visited Izumi and Sig.

She’d never let him live it down if he started slacking off.

The safehouse did not look like someplace acceptable for anybody to live in but it was the best they had. It was one of the only ones close enough to East City without being in the immediate area of other people, it was the best Hughes had to offer. Edward only needed it to last as a shelter until he could figure out what he was going to do with Nina. It took him longer than he would’ve liked to walk here but at least he knew it was far enough out of the way for someone to accidentally come across.

He thought about heading out to Dublith, see about finding the devil's nest and convincing them to keep an eye on her for him but… he didn’t even know if they were there. 

He had no way of knowing what the effects of the changes he made could be. He got Nina out and away, Scar has no idea she was a Chimera and he would probably flee after killing her dad. At least, he assumed Scar would flee, there hasn’t been any word on him lately and Tucker wasn't dead yet. He managed to keep Nina alive for this long, her original death date having already passed… surely that had to mean something.

He could do this.

Mustang, he swore not to report this to command and Edward trusted him enough to know that he’d keep his word. If there was one thing the bastard was good for, it was being a man of his word. 

He still wasn’t sure why Mustang or any of the others had agreed so easily to help him keep Nina a secret, but he was grateful either way. He could tell looking at Nina bothered all of them, she could tell too, but out of all of them, Havoc seemed to be the one most comfortable around her. Edward couldn’t tell why but he was glad at least one of them was opening up to Nina and treated her as an actual little girl rather than a Chimera that could go feral at any given moment. Hughes had run from the car the first time he saw Nina, Edward could only assume it was because of Nina having only been a year or two older than his own daughter. It took Mustang saying something to him to convince Hughes to get back in the car. He was just glad Nina had been somewhat out of it during that encounter.

There were still moments as they were settling inside the safe house when Nina would howl or bare her teeth by accident but Havoc usually regained his composure quickly enough. Hughes, on the other hand, avoided looking at her.

Edward resolved to go out and buy something for Havoc, it would have to be later on though, something to show the man how he appreciated what he’s done. 

Buying gifts for people wasn’t exactly something he was used to or even good at but he knew Havoc decently enough that he should be able to find something the man would enjoy.

Though it’d have to wait until after he checked on Nina.

Nina raced across the room the moment he stepped into the safehouse. He felt horrible, leaving her in the safehouse all by herself, but he had no choice and it was only for a day and a half. Havoc was with her anytime he wasn’t. If he stopped showing up at the dorms and didn’t report in with his commanding officer every so often then it would get noticed by the higher-ups. Mustang and the others had already returned to their jobs with the investigation on Shou Tucker officially handed over to Hughes, Armstrong, and his department due to the expectation of Scar’s interference. 

Edward was supposed to go with them back to the office for work but was able to request off a week of leave which Mustang approved immediately. Reporting in was the last thing he had to do before he was officially on leave. 

As far as anyone was concerned, everyone else was keeping an eye out for Scar while the sudden arrest of Shou Tucker and the disappearance of his daughter had traumatized him deeply. Seeing how _ close _he had bonded with the family. He needed the week off to relax and pull himself back together… 

When really he was just trying to figure out where to take Nina. 

Going to Dublith was looking to be the best option… Seeing Greed would definitely be weird, especially since he’s seen the guy die twice now. He was pretty sure that he could convince Greed to take Nina in and watch over her for him. if Greed and his crew weren’t there then he could always go see teacher… Edward shuddered, he knew there was a chance Izumi hadn’t learned he was a so-called dog of the military, but Al did mention visiting them before and filling them in on what’s happened over the past few years. Worse comes to worst, he could leave Nina with her, or maybe take Nina to Resembool?

“Big brother?” Nina shuffled over and laid down next to Edward’s leg, “Okay?”

“I’m okay Nina, I was just thinking.”

Nina hummed, something she did often although it sounded more like an odd mix of purring and an attempt at growling. Havoc got up from where he had been sitting at an old-looking table, from the deck of cards spread out Edward had a feeling the man had been playing a game to pass the time until he arrived.

“You alright Boss?” Havoc stood up, frowning, “You’re looking a bit pale…”

“Fine,” Edward shrugged, “Just figured I’d save some time and spend the night here. So you don’t have to come over in the morning, just Hughes would be fine.”

"Weren't you supposed to just stop by and then Breda would cover me?"

"I guess, but you can just call him and tell him not to come. I'll be here."

“You guys have a train to catch around eleven right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’ll stop by with some breakfast, I can pick the Lieutenant Colonel up and give you a ride to the station.”

Edward smirked, “You sure you aren’t doing this to get out of doing paperwork? You’re starting to sound like the ba-er Mustang you know.”

“Hey!”

They sat there in relative silence once Havoc left, Edward lost in thought and Nina just laying there enjoying Edward’s fingers combing through her hair. He’d been surprised when Havoc stopped by them to pat Nina on the head before ruffling his hair, and running out as Edward yelled after him.

“Hurts… it hurts.”

Edward jerked his hand back, fearing for a moment that he had accidentally been yanking on the loose strands rather than gently combing them.

“H-Hurts… make stop… Ed… big brother…”

Edward squeezed his eyes shut, he’d almost forgotten. 

Having your entire body suddenly merged with an animal and it changing so drastically… it was bound to leave lingering pains. This wasn’t even the first time Nina admitted to being in pain, he thought since she hadn’t said anything the past two days that the pain had gone away… Edward felt his own eyes sting as his pant leg grew moist where Nina laid her head.

“...I… I can try? I need you, I just need you to stay still okay, Nina?” Edward said softly, an idea coming to him.

He wasn’t sure if this could work… he didn’t even know if he could make a difference. He didn’t know enough about the making of Chimera’s to try and split them apart… but he had to try, he couldn’t just leave her here like this. She was suffering, all this time and he hadn’t done anything for her.

“E-Ed?”

“It’ll be okay Nina, just… just close your eyes and wait for a minute… okay?”

Nina slowly lifted her head up, her eyes meeting Edwards, “Then… we play?”

“Yeah,” Edward smiled softly, “Yeah then we can play, Nina.”

“Okay…” 

Edward licked his lips. Breathing in deeply, Edward held it to the count of five before slowly breathing out. He could do this. He could. He just had to concentrate… He could still sense them. All those souls in the stones beneath Amestris. They weren't as loud as before, having grown used to his presence over the years they didn't erupt in screaming when he called out to them. It definitely wasn’t as bad as the first few times he reached out. Though their presence alone was still overwhelming, it felt as if they were surrounding him on all sides, suffocating him.

_ I’m sorry, _ Edward thought, _ I’m sorry that anytime we meet I keep asking things of all of you. I… I need your help. _

All at once each of the souls tried speaking to him, latching onto his mind and demanding his attention. It was too much. Too much to take in, Edward tried to back away, to give himself space in order to calm down. Only the moment he tried to pull away from them, they all stopped. The sudden silence was unnerving, Edward could feel them all still there still surrounding him but they weren’t doing anything. It was almost as if they were waiting for him to make the first move.

Edward sat there, he could feel Nina’s fur beneath his hand and still hear her low whines, but he didn’t try to comfort her. He wanted to, but he had to keep focused on the task at hand.

Eventually, one of the souls, one that felt older than the others inched its way near him.

Edward hesitantly reached out to it, pleasantly surprised when it did not try to make itself known right away. He couldn’t exactly see who it was or hear them speak but he could get a read on their emotions. This soul… it wasn’t old enough to be someone from Xerxes, come to think of it, none of the souls he felt around him were old enough to be from that long ago. They were from a fairly recent fight…

Ishval. It had to be, they were recent enough to not be from Xerxes and they were too old to be from the riots in Liore. Riots he still wished he knew how to prevent.

He could sense how eager the soul was, eager yet wary of him.

That made sense, Ishvalans were wary of Alchemy, to begin with, add in the fact that these souls had all been massacred by a majority of state alchemist… no wonder they didn’t trust him.

_ I'm sorry. I know I'm asking a lot of you, but please. Please lend me your help so I can help her. _Edward thought about Nina, about what she looked like before and how she was now. He brought up his memory of walking into the basement and finding her in the middle of the array. He made sure to show the souls even his memories of the other timeline, he wanted to show them how much Nina meant to him. He wanted, no he needed them to understand. He needed them to understand that he wanted their help to do something good, to give a little girl her life back.

One by one, souls hesitantly inched their way closer to him, he could feel it. 

The hairs on his arms and the back of his neck standing on edge as he felt the souls pushing up, surging towards him as he clapped his hands. It wasn’t all of them, more than half the souls he sensed weren’t coming forward, he hoped whatever souls that did offer themselves would be enough. Edward gently lowered his hands, his fingers pushing down on Nina’s back.

Distantly he was aware of Nina, of how she was calling out to him, crying from the sounds of it.

He wanted to apologize, he wanted to tell her how he wasn’t trying to hurt her, he only wanted to help. Thinking back on it, he realized how suddenly seeing the telltale sign of alchemy was bound to upset her. He wasn’t Tucker, despite the man's’ insistence that they were alike, he knew there was a price to pay and a line you do not cross. Tucker paid no price and transmuted his daughter. He paid the price and transmuted his mother. The difference was, Edward was a kid the first time around, he didn’t know just what he was doing. He knew it was taboo but that didn’t mean he knew the full extent to what performing human transmutation entailed. Tucker knew but chose to ignore it. Tucker was only intent on passing his reexamination, Edward was just a kid who wanted his mother back…

Gritting his teeth, Edward fought down the instinct reaction to yell as he felt each one of the souls passing through him. 

He could feel all of it. 

He could feel their souls just barely brushing up against his, leaving him with names and images from memories not his own. He felt what they felt, the terror of knowing there was nowhere to run, the pain as they were surrounded and taken down without a second thought and the hatred for the Amestrian military that tried to wipe them all out. The souls were all screaming and Edward had a feeling he may have been screaming right along with them, only his voice was quickly blocked out by theirs.

_ Please let this work. _

**Author's Note:**

> I am hooked on the idea of Time-Travel, Alternative Universe's, ETC with Fullmetal Alchemist. I've read so many amazing works, one of my favorites thus far is "Spirit Animals," by Fullmetal_Bitch. I highly recommend reading their story, they update once a week and have a large portion finished already!


End file.
